Get Out review

GET OUT:

JORDAN PEELE DELIVERS ONE CREEPY FEATURE AND AN ASTOUNDING DIRECTORIAL DEBUT!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

You don’t belong in this neighborhood, Get Out

            When you think of Jordan Peele (MADtv, Key & Peele, Keanu) of Comedy Central’s Key & Peele fame, you probably wouldn’t think of horror. Well, say hello to his first film as a director, Get Out, the latest horror film produced by Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity franchise, The Gift, Split) and I won’t be lying if I said this is one of the best horror movies I’ve seen in a long time.

            Remember when The Sixth Sense came out and M. Night Shyamalan delivered a phenomenal directorial debut, this movie does the exact same thing to Jordan Peele. He masterfully takes a very realistic concept and makes a scary flick out of it, nothing supernatural, no demonic possessions, no slasher movie tropes, just one seriously messed up neighborhood with a dark secret.

            The only way I can describe it without giving anything away is, imagine Selma or Straight Outta Compton mixed with Nightmare on Elm Street. I’ve never really been scared of horror movies that much, but this one, Oh My God, it’s horrifying in all the right ways.

            The camera work, set design, tone, music, and acting all set the mood phenomenally, and the film really takes its time with the subject matter and doesn’t jump right into gory slasher territory like most films in the genre these days. It builds up an uncomfortable atmosphere, develops its characters very well, and makes you ask questions about both the movie and what’s going on in real life.

            The film follows a man named Chris (Daniel Kaluuya-Skins, Kick-Ass 2, Sicario) traveling for a getaway upstate with his girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams-Girls, The Mindy Project, The Simpsons) to meet her parents. At first, it’s kind of nice, her family seems friendly and the neighborhood looks lovely, it’s a dream vacation, at least that’s what they think.

            As the film progresses, Chris notices that the people in the neighborhood are acting strange and what starts off as a pleasant vacation becomes an uncomfortable nightmare. A series of disturbing discoveries about the family, house, and neighborhood in general lead him to a shocking truth that he could have never imagined.

            The film also stars Catherine Keener (Being John Malkovich, Capote, Synecdoche, New York) as Missy Armitage, Erika Alexander (Living Single, Déjà vu, Last Man Standing) as Detective Latoya, Bradley Whitford (Bottle Shock, The Cabin in the Woods, Saving Mr. Banks) as Dean Armitage, Caleb Landry Jones (Friday Night Lights, The Last Exorcism, X-Men: First Class) as Jeremy Armitage, Lil Rel Howery (In Living Color, Friends of the People, The Carmichael Show) as Rod Williams, Keith Stanfield (Short Term 12, Selma, Straight Outta Compton) as Andre “Logan” Hayworth, and Stephen Root (Office Space, Cedar Rapids, Selma) as Jim Hudson.

            Overall, Get Out is a fantastic movie and a refreshing take on the horror genre, quite possibly the most realistic scary movie I’ve ever seen. The movie takes racism and makes a scary flick out of it, and Jordan Peele does it perfectly.

            It’s a movie that really made me think about what’s going on in the world, the movie is a work of fiction, but its subject matter is very real. I’m hoping this film does well at box office because I really want to see Jordan Peele tackle more horror movies, don’t support Universal by watching Fifty Shades Darker, support them by using your money for this instead.

            Something this original doesn’t come out that often, all throughout the movie, I was hooked. I had no idea where the movie was going and the final act will shock the hell out of you, it almost felt like a good Shyamalan twist.

            What Get Out does that I really applaud it for is making me care about the characters involved in the horror situation. The film doesn’t write Chris and his girlfriend as typical horror movie stereotypes but instead as ACTUAL PEOPLE! The acting and writing feel natural and you get attached to this couple and even with the two main characters, the film manages to throw a few twists their way.

            I also appreciate the film for blending horror with some comedy, it’s not as obvious as other horror films that try to have humor, but once in a while a character will have a funny response to a situation or a comment. The humor helps make the characters feel more alive and human, even if at times they sound robotic.

            Again, I hope this movie makes money at the box office because Jordan Peele could be the next Shyamalan in terms of horror. He’s proven himself as a funny actor many times before, but now he’s proven himself to be a brilliant horror director.

            Get Out and see this movie, I don’t care what kind of movies you like, this is a thought-provoking, chilling experience that also delivers social commentary on what’s happening now.